From Illinois Pay to Play Did you know that a federal civil law suit went to the jury today, April 17, after Governor Pat Quinn’s Chief-of-Staff, Jack Lavin, testified as a witness; Tony Rezko was deposed. You probably didn’t know any of that, unless you hang around the court house for grins. And you certainly didn’t know it if you rely on the Chicago Tribune or the Chicago Sun Times to keep you informed. (Although today, the Times did report that some bald eagles are nesting in the south...

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From Citizen Wells Many of you following Barack Obama’s corruption ties in Chicago during and after the Tony Rezko trial have read exerpts from the email exchanges between Susan Lichtenstein, the former general counsel to Governor Rod Blagojevich and David Wilhelm and others. You have read about Obama’s role as chairman of the IL Senate committee in reducing the number of members of the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board from 15 to 9, which allowed it to be rigged with 5 votes. Some of...

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To paraphrase Augie March, I am an American, Chicago born—and I smell clout. The Chicagoese term “clout” has been watered down to mean “influence” but originally it meant marginally ethical, often illegitimate, political influence. As a Chicagoan, perhaps I am oversensitive, but when it quacks like clout I instinctively think, “clout.”Now that a special prosecutor has charged George Zimmerman with second-degree murder, the wheels of justice are belatedly turning, so I...

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Madigan understandably wants to be perceived as protecting the pension system — if only he can protect his House Democrats from that rising voter fury. Last week he proposed a state constitutional amendment that would increase the difficulty of giving future pension sweeteners to public employees throughout Illinois. If adopted, his amendment would require the Legislature to approve pension increases by a three-fifths vote.One inconvenient truth: Madigan, who turns 70 on Thursday, is in his 42nd...

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CDOBS SyndicateRich Miller: Relative morality Steve Bartin: School Vouchers Gain Ground : Louisiana’s New Statewide Program Will Expand the Concept to Apprenticeships Steve Bartin: Obama Admits Buffett Rule A Gimmick Steve Bartin: As tuition rose, so did university holiday parties Chicago Current News Feed: CPS cafeteria workers demand fresh, not frozen, food Chicago Current News Feed: Rahm Emanuel to crack down on problem liquor stores Ben Joravsky: Mayor Rahm’s bananas about the longer...

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Mea culpa is an ancient Latin phrase used by wrongdoers to seek forgiveness for past transgressions, legal or moral. It is roughly translated as “I am to blame,” or “the fault is mine.”  On March 20, U.S. Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. – known sarcastically and uncharitably in the black community as “Junior” – was incontrovertibly “forgiven” by some voters in his black-majority 2nd congressional district. Or, more accurately, by 56,130 voters, almost exclusively black,...

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